LA LA LAND

[maikuu]

Emma Stone as Mia & Ryan Gosling as Sebastian

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[cecic0125]

Q1: Why are Mia's life as an unknown actress and Seb's as an unknown musician so frustrating?
A1: The reason why Mia and Sebastian were frustrated at the very beginning is that actress and musician are the occupations which need attention. It is unlikely that normal ones can be a renowned actress and musician overnight. Also, too many people have the same Hollywood dream, which indicates that these sort of fancy jobs are very competitive. For most of the cases, Hollywood dream becomes pipe dream at the end. Therefore, the process of being a successful actress or musician is hard, tough and frustrating.

Q2: Why do Mia and Seb become close to each other?
A2: Mia saw Sebastian in a restaurant and she was mesmerized by his music. But Sebastian was being so curt at that moment since he was fired. After that they met in a pool party, exchange their basic information to each other and had a great dance at Griffith Park. After that, they went to the Lighthouse and go to the Rialto for “learning”.(But actually a date).

Q3: Does LA LA LAND offer a workable model of how to achieve one's dreams in the entertainment business?
A3: I do not think that LA LA LAND offers a workable model for people who want to pursue their Hollywood dream. Like I mention before, for most of the cases, Hollywood dream becomes pipe dream at the end. The chance for being successful in the entertainment business is quite small. LA LA LAND is a just a fancy vision, not a workable model.

Q4: Explain the ending of the story.
A4: Mia pictures their story that indicates Mia still loves Sebastian.

Simin Chen

Teacher's note: IMHO the above comments are quite observant and precise. I like how this author weaves summary into the response. Thanks for a nice piece of writing and for being the first to respond to LA LA LAND.

--mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[NianxueMai]

La La Land is a wonderful movie. It narrates a story that is about how Seb and Mia follow their dreams and about their love. The movie begins in a happy atmosphere. Then, it fast switches to a picture of a traffic jam. I think it describes the situation between good dreams and cruel reality.

Mia wants to be an actress, so she uses a lot of time to piratic [audition?]. Nevertheless, she is not successful. Also, Seb is in the same situation. He likes Jazz, but Jazz is not popular in people. The situation is like it is for so many real people. Therefore, the situation is so frustrating. The movie sometimes uses some pictures in which everybody wears dark clothes, but Mia or Seb wears very colorful clothes. Such as when Mia goes to a party with her friends. I thank the director wants to express the person who has a dream different from other people. When they have a second meeting, Mia is attracted by Seb’s absorbed play. The third meet is at a party. Mia takes the initiative to close Seb. They talk more, and understand each other more than before. After that, they are increasingly attracted to each other.

At the beginning of love, everything is fantasy, but love and bread cannot have both. After a period of time, because of the pursuit of reality, they both lose some precious and beautiful things, such as love and dreams. However, after that, they are both successful. The last time they meet at Seb’s club. Seb takes Mia into a perfect dream world by his [music] playing. I think this situation happens to almost everyone. Younger people have dreams, middle-aged people give up the dream, and elderly recall the dream.

I think LA LA LAND does not offer a workable model of how to achieve one’s dream in the entertainment business because most of people do something like this, but they did not succeed. LA LA LAND is just a dream case. In the real world, success is not only efforts and perseverance, but also chances and miracles.

Teacher's note: This author also provides a generously detailed observation of LA LA LAND. I see a trend forming. Both authors express the opinion that this musical for dreamers does NOT offer a workable model of how to achieve one's dream in the entertainment business. Both say that this is because most people do not achieve success in the biz.

There may be a logical disconnect between the question and the response. Given that very few people succeed in entertainment, does this mean that the model for success is the fault, or could it be that only those with the greatest talent and drive have any chance of success even if all the others follow the same exact model of hard work? In the second song piece, "Someone in the Crowd," it says "Someone in the crowd could take you where you wanna go If you're the someone ready to be found." In "Another Day of Sun," it says "They say "you gotta want it more" So I bang on every door. Even when the answer's "no"." Etc. So is the model for success the problem?

Anyway, thanks for an awesome post. I always enjoy reading student comments, AND authors often notice things that I miss, which teaches me. Plus, others can read and be informed about any given film.

--mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[Victoria Zhang]

This is the fifth time I saw the movie La La Land, I still think that it is a piece that sincerely made with passion and dreams. Recalling back to the past two to three years, many filmmakers and producers focus on the benefits of the financial income. People tend to make high input by using a lot of CGR, or making the whole film as a "DP personal show". Fewer people would focus on developing a really good story, or encouraging the audiences with the sprits of the characters, nor making people think deeply after watch the movie. To me, La La Land is a recall of the classical musical film, and it gives us a simple but romantic way to talk about a question that many dream-chasers would think about, love and dream, how big the dream can be and how can we really achieve it.

The best shot of the film, in my opinion, is the first shot of the traffic jam in LA. The director used a 4 mins long take to show us the incredible sprit of young people in LA, we would find that everyone has their own little dream, but just keep a positive opinion about life and may escape the real life for a while in the traffic jam. In the shot, the colors are fantastic, and the dancing of each actor and actress is heart-catching. It provides the audiences a glance of dancing LA.

Talking about the story itself, in the movie, Seb and Mia were two chasers of Hollywood dream. They met when they were have-nots, but soon they get their own ways to go on the higher stages of their careers. The reason why they broke up in the end is that their careers can't match with their romantic relationship. When two people met, they have a same status, but later when Seb gets a hood job while Mia is still an unknown actress, things starts changing. In my opinion, some people appear in our lives, they are just accompany with us to walk for a while, though they disappear later, but to seize the days with them is the most incredible things we would do with them. The movie gives us a really good suggestion and altitude about love, and how can we know the fact that we can't control in romantic relationship.

To expand the ending, I would say that though Seb and Mia are separated and have their own lives after five years, they still think about each other sometimes, this is a good altitude to dare love someone, and let go when the time is coming.

Victoria Yuanyuan Zhang
07/06/17

[Tsai]

“La La Land” is a movie that taking about some reality behind movie star. When we watch a movie, what we see is a star that catch everyone’s eyes, few to consider that there is still lot of unknown actors try to get a character, and that is what La La Land about.

In the movie, the scene that Mia join an audition, there are many people look like her, dress like her which also join the same audition. The interviewers are not what to spend time on her, they do not care about her ability, because they always have other choices. For them, Mia is not necessary. She is replaceable. In the other hand, Seb also facing the similar issue, nobody cares about what music he what to play, what he should do is playing Christmas song. Mia and Seb have their own dreams, but seem to be too far away from them.

Since Mia and Seb are unknown actress and musician, their personality is not being noticed. There are too many “clone” of them like those people who join the audition, they are not unique. That why their lives are so frustrating.

[Eric]

La La Land tells the story of a woman's dream to be an actor because his aunt is an actor. A man's dream is to become a musician. A chance to meet, so that they love each other. The actress of the film works in a cafe, the actor plays the piano at a restaurant. At the beginning of the film, she received a call, as if it were a negative news. She was very sad, know passing by an actor in the playing of the restaurant. Was attracted by the actor's music, but the director does not like the actor's music, so he was fired. Just their second encounter.

The first is on the road. After that they went through a lot of thingsey are in love. The heroine finished her dream and became an actor. The actor also completed his dream. Finally they in love together.

I do not understand the whole movie, because my hearing is not very good. But my feeling is that life has a lot of difficulties, do not give up hope, adhere to their dreams. At the beginning of the film, where the cafe came a very famous actress. People looked at her with envious eyes. After the actress finished his dream, she once came to this cafe. She became the focus of all eyes. If you work hard, you will eventually become your envy.

[Cynthia]

They met at an old restaurant. The actress liked the actor music, but the boss didn't like this style. After then, they met at a party, and the actor changed his music style. Finally they fell in love. They had similar interests. However, the actor wanted to change his hobbit for earn money. At a wonderful night, they argued with this problem. And actress gave up her dream. At that time, Sab got a news that a company like her style. And she became a famous actress. After a few years, Mia and Sab met at a bar. but Mia got married.

This is a good movie.And I hope I can come true my dream like Mia and Sab. Love is easy, but sometimes it difficult. We need keep our heart after we fall in love. In my opinion, if Sab changes his dream, he will not meet Mie again. In the love, we have to have similar interests.We need more common topic between us and our husbands. Love need romantic, so we need create surprised.

[dongzhou]

At the ending of the film, we enjoyed a colorful dream in which Seb and Mia got together happily. This dream existed only in their imagination because of a coincidence that Mia went into Seb's club after 5 years. This is not a film about a missed love. They shared a brief but happy encounter and then followed their own tracks of life.

Seb didn’t fall into decadence after Mia’s leave. He walked by her poster without a stop, but he decorated the bar as what she liked. Mia got married and wouldn’t be attracted by jazz from a bar by the road, but she loved a guy who loved jazz too. They will always love each other, like loving suffering but persevering themselves in the past, but will not disrupt their life to stay close.

Every one wakes up from the dream after the music. They smile, and then continue their own life. People meet, fall in love, and break up. Once there was love, there's nothing to make us feel regret.

[MengciYang]

I went to see this movie once it was on, not only because both of the actress and the actor are my favorites, but when I saw the preview, I loved it so much. The story uses two different angles of view and some beautiful music to tell a story that includes dream, love, and reality.

The beginning of the story of leading actor and actress is normal, both of them are unsatisfied with their current life, they both have a dream in the entertainment business, and both of them are not successful. In such a familiar life, as far as I am concerned, it's reasonable for their meeting. It calls for some reality in our life, there are so many dream chasers fighting for their goals not just in the entertainment business, they failed again and again but never give up, just like Mia and Seb. Mia goes for audition so many times and Seb never abandon his love for jazz music, so I think it is what they insist make them become closer to each other.

Besides, in this movie, the most unforgettable part for me is about their love but not the process of chasing their dreams. The movie tells us a good love story about how they meet, how they get along with each other and how they fall in love with each other. People met because of the similar experience, love because of the same value and interests, say goodbye because of the time and something hard to explain, which happens every day. The expressions in their eyes tell more than love, so I think that's a reason why people love this movie. Hope everyone can enjoy this beautiful love story.

Mengci Yang

[Mika Osawa]

I enjoyed watching LA LA LAND for the first time.

Mia wants to be an actor and Seb wants to be a musician. They only want to do what they like and want, but they can not do it alone. Big supports of someone are necessary to make their dreams come true. Mia participates in a lot of auditions and Seb also tries to play his music, but they are frustrated to the reality that others don't pay attention to them at all.

Mia and Seb become close to each other because they find that they have similar dreams in the process of knowing each other.

I think this movie offers a workable model for people who want to do the entertainment business. People have to go to auditions to be an actor. People must show their music to be a musician. I think it is the only way to achieve their dreams. Also this movie tells us the importance of having and pursuing our dreams even if dreams don't come true.

In the ending of the story, their dreams come true, but they loose their love each other.